The Colors of Light -- March, 2003


Teacher Hints:

  1. It may be helpful to introduce students to the electromagnetic spectrum prior to doing this activity. Be sure students understand the inverse relationship of wavelength to frequency.

  2. There are a variety of resources on the Internet that explore visual perception, optical illusions, the science of color and light and the biology of sight. The Exploratorium, San Francisco's museum of science, art and human perception, has listed many of these links at www.exploratorium.edu/seeing/links.html.

  3. This lab activity may lead to interesting cross-disciplinary opportunities for teaching about art or biology. For example, students may already be aware of the structures in the retina that respond to incoming light -- rods and cones. Three types of cones -- those sensitive to red, those sensitive to blue and those sensitive to green -- allow us to perceive all of the primary additive colors. Other non-primate mammals such as dogs and cats lack all three types of cones and thus lack full-color vision.

  4. Collections of classic optical illusions and visual perception phenomenon can be easily accessed online or even projected for classroom viewing. Check out Sandlot Science at www.sandlotscience.com/ or Cal State Fullerton's site of visual illusions at psych.fullerton.edu/mentors/ENTERT.HTM.